...the WEF most improved country overall

WEF Declares Philippines Most Improved Country in Global Competitiveness

 

September 10, 2014

By Leandro Tan

Asia Foundation

 

 

The Filipino workforce has long been considered to be internationally competitive, exemplified in its impressive performance in the business process outsourcing and overseas labor markets. However, it is only recently that Philippine competitiveness has been recognized on a global scale.

Last week, the World Economic Forum’s new Global Competitiveness Report, which looked at the competitiveness of 144 economies based on 2013 data and a survey of business perceptions up to May 2014, declared the Philippines the “most improved country overall,” rising seven notches to 52nd place.

The World Economic Forum recently declared the Philippines as the most improved country in terms of global competitiveness. Photo/Karl Grobl

This is welcome news to the Philippines, particularly since it has been rocked by numerous natural calamities, most devastating of which was Typhoon Yolanda last November that left nearly 8,000 dead, affected 16 million people, and resulted in the virtual destruction of the major productive assets (e.g., agriculture and food manufacturing) amounting to about $10 billion in economic damages according to the International Disaster Database. The country’s rise in its competitiveness standing is all the more surprising on several counts.

First, the Philippines has risen 33 places since 2010 when it ranked 85th, marking the biggest improvement among all countries during that period. The other top 10 gainers include: Latvia (+28 to 42nd), Nepal (+28 to 102nd), Tajikistan (+25 to 91st), Georgia (+24 to 69th), Kazakhstan (+22 to 50th), Lesotho (+21 to 107th), Azerbaijan (+19 to 38th), Zambia (+19 to 96th), and Rwanda (+19 to 62nd).

Such gains show that significant progress is not only possible among the lower ranked countries, but that there is room in the top one-third (48th or better, the official target of the National Competitiveness Council) for countries other than what the report calls advanced economies.

The Philippines’ current ranking is now close to this official ranking, in running with Panama (48th), Italy (49th), Kazakhstan (50th), and Costa Rica (51st), and ahead of more industrialized countries such as Russia (53rd), South Africa (54th), Brazil (57th), Mexico (61st), India (71st), and the Ukraine (76th).

Second, this development helps to change the public image of the Philippines as the “sick man of Asia” and the “odd man out” in a dynamic ASEAN region. The improvement is the highest in the ASEAN region since 2010 and has narrowed the gap with the top five ASEAN countries. Vietnam, which ranked 59th in 2010, has since slipped to 75th in 2012 and recovered slightly to 68th in 2014.

The next closest ASEAN country Indonesia, which ranks 34th, has only shown a 10-point increase since 2010, compared to a 33-point increase for the Philippines.




Third, the competitiveness data shows that this positive development is not a one-time fluke but an improving trend in the Philippines since 2010 that is generally consistent across the board with the 12 pillars of competitiveness. The improvements have been occurring every year with only slight slippages in 2014 in terms of market size (-2 to 35th) and financial market development (-1 to 49th).

According to the government, the latest credit rating upgrade to investment grade by the South Korea-based National Information & Credit Evaluation (NICE) group is the 18th positive rating action since President Aquino became president in 2010.



Fourth, the major improvements in the state of Philippine competitiveness are related to pillars that many Filipinos still perceive as being problematic, including innovation (+59), institutions (+58), and the macroeconomic environment (+42). The participation of Filipino workers in fields of innovation is well known and reinforced with the rise in capacity for innovation (+50 to 30th) since 2010. But what is not well known is how government-purchasing decisions are fostering innovation (+76 to 53rd), company spending on R&D (+43 to 42nd), quality of scientific research institutions (+33 to 75th), and the availability of scientists and engineers (+25 to 71st). However the Philippines has lagged further behind in terms of patent applications (-17 to 88th).

On the macroeconomic front, the country registered higher rankings based on economic data on public debt levels (+44 to 58th), government budget balances (+38 to 25th), national savings (+23 to 51st), and inflation (+16 to 57th). The latest employment figures indicate that the macroeconomic performance has reached the grassroots level. Excluding the region devastated by Typhoon Yolanda, over 1.654 million new jobs were created year-on-year in April 2014 – the first time that the government’s target of 1 million new jobs per year has been attained since April 2012.

Historical experience shows that Filipinos have shown the world glimpses of their true national character when faced with bad news in back-against-the-wall situations. The question remains on how Filipinos – whose penchant for self-effacing humor in the face of economic turmoil is well known – will react to success stories on national competitiveness that are so few and far between in their history. That outcome may pose the biggest surprise of them all, or not.


Leandro Tomas David D. Tan is Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist for the USAID Advancing Philippine Competitiveness (COMPETE) project, being undertaken by The Asia Foundation in partnership with Nathan Associates Inc., the REID Foundation, the Foundation for Economic Freedom, and Asia Pacific Projects, Inc. The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and not those of USAID, The Asia Foundation, or other COMPETE implementing partners. An employee of Nathan Associates, he can be reached at ldtan@competeproject.ph.

 

...the Pinoy architect in Bangkok

Pinoy architect bags 3rd place in Bangkok exhibition

GMA News

September 21, 2013

 

 

 

A Filipino architect brought recognition to the Philippines after bagging the third place in an Asia-Pacific exhibition in Thailand, the Department of Foreign Affairs said over the weekend.
 

The DFA said Allan Jay Quesada won third place at the launching of the “Learning to Live Together” Asia-Pacific Exhibition last Sept. 17.

 

 

"Quesada hails from La Union and finished BS Architecture at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila. He is currently working as an architect for DSFN Architects, an architectural design firm based in Makati," it said.
 

The "Learning to Live Together" exhibition was organized by UNESCO Bangkok and Haier Group China Global Business Organization at Bangkok Art and Culture Center.

 

 

Other winners included Alland Dharmawan and Masyudi Firmasyah of Indonesia, who placed first and fourth respectively.

 

 

Siddhant Mohanty from India won second place but was not present during the launching, the DFA said.

Winners were chosen from among 200 entries from Bangladesh, Cambodia. India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and the Philippines.

 

 

The tilt was organized within the framework of UNESCO’s program on “learning to live together.”

 

 

It featured the top 30 submission of photos, drawings and other images to a regional competition, reflecting the perspective of youth in the Asia-Pacific region on learning to live together.

 

 

The event, which runs from September until Sept. 22, will coincide with the International Peace Day on September 21, the theme of which is education and peace. — ELR, GMA News

 

 

...the Azkals goes to AFC Challenge Cup

AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers: Philippines top Group E as rivalry with Turkmenistan grows

Roy Moore

GMA News

March 27, 2013

 

On to Maldives - the Philippines topped Group E to advance to the next phase of the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup. Roehl Niño Bautista, GMA News Online

With a 3-0 default win from Brunei, an 8-0 thrashing of Cambodia, and 1-0 victory over Turkmenistan, the Philippines won nine points with the highest goal difference of the competition to top their group and the qualification period as a whole. Defeating Turkmenistan for the very first time, the Philippines is now the team to beat come 2014 on the main stage of the Challenge Cup in the Maldive Islands.

With these performances, the Philippines is set to jump to their highest FIFA Ranking ever, possibly within the 130s, when they are released next time. So with a growing rivalry with Turkmenistan, Phil Younghusband back to his scoring ways, seven clean sheets in nine games, but more controversy off the pitch, we dissect the Philippines’ route to the 2014 Challenge Cup main stage.

‘Like a Final’

In the post-match press conference, the Turkmenistan coach, Hojageldiyev Yazguly, said, “It was a very interesting game…I think this match was like a final.” Similar sentiments followed from Coach Weiss who added, “For me, Turkmenistan will be the team to beat again and on neutral soil it will be different.”

Ladies and gentlemen, what we have is a rivalry.

There wasn’t much in this game, and the Turkmenistan coach pointed out, “The last two games against the Philippines, the luck was on our side but this time the luck was with [the Philippines].”

However, this is the advancement the Philippines has made. Turkmenistan was rated 121st in the world in the previous FIFA Rankings, dropping 19 places that month due to a lack of games and the natural cycle, rather than any statement of their quality. Turkmenistan was considered by many to be the best team in the Challenge Cup Qualifiers, as runners-up to North Korea in the previous two editions, and the Philippines went and beat them.

Whatever you think of the style of play, who should or shouldn’t start, how Neil Etheridge wasn’t even among the subs, or the lack of substitutions from those who were on the bench, valid concerns, there is no doubting the progress of this team. Turkmenistan has now been defeated in a continually growing list of countries the Philippines have beaten for the very first time under manager Dan Palami and coach Michael Weiss.

This list includes India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Myanmar, Palestine, Singapore, and a couple more if you don’t include the Olympic Games forty years ago as full international matches. That list, that progress, and this line-up, is the best the Philippines has ever had. The biggest challenge now is keeping them together.

Phil rediscovers where he put his Golden Boot

Phil Younghusband finished as the leading scorer of the 2012 Challenge Cup, with two more than anyone else, totaling six in that competition. Here, the top scorer of the Philippines scored five goals, again two ahead of everyone else, to take his tally to 33 for his country. It seems he really enjoys playing in the Challenge Cup, and for the rest of the teams left in the competition, their challenge will be to keep him quiet.

In the Suzuki Cup, he hit a dry spell as teams had scouted the Philippines, identified him as the major threat, and bullied him out of the game. It was effective and his only goal came against Myanmar at the start of the second half, in a tournament where he was pushed and elbowed into anonymity.

While this tactic may prove effective again for the other teams in the Challenge Cup, it will be too much of a price for other teams to pay now. Committing two defenders to bully Younghusband would leave space for Javier Patiño, who has proven himself worthy of a place in the starting line-up with a brace in his debut and an enterprising performance against Turkmenistan. That means the Philippines are top dog and can go out playing to win every single game come March 2014.

The only caveat for Younghusband is he got sent off versus Turkmenistan. A yellow card in the first half for deliberately handling the ball was followed by a second for holding onto his man and dragging him back in the 85th minute. He will therefore be unavailable for the first group game in the 2014 Challenge Cup.

Stalwart defense and team spirit

The unsung heroes of the Azkals was their defense. If the defense goes unnoticed, they’ve done their job well and Rob Gier in particularly never put a foot wrong. After the game the veteran Azkal said, “I think today the game was all about the defenders… I think we’ve proved we have all the right ingredients to show we can be a very good team”.

Of the squad as a whole, he said, “When people keep asking about what’s special about the team I keep coming back to it; it’s the team spirit.” And with Rob Gier and Juani Guirado solid in defense, the Philippines have kept seven clean sheets in their last nine games (not including the default win against Brunei).

This has been part of an overall defensive unit where Dennis Cagara and Carli De Murga have thwarted the wing play, offering offensive options too, and seen fourteen clean sheets in the twenty games since the last Challenge Cup. During the Suzuki Cup, the defensive strength came at the expense of the attack, but now the Philippines look much more balanced with, as Weiss said, “the best still yet to come.”

Stadium half-full or half-empty?

On the pitch, the Philippines was superb and has been constantly improving. But off the pitch there is so much more that needs to be done – and a lot of it is just common sense.

The most prestigious tournament in South East Asia, the Suzuki Cup, sold their most expensive tickets for the Final at around P700. Yet somehow the organizers of these qualifiers thought that charging almost four times that amount for some seats was appropriate.

Group D hosts Nepal had an average of 16,000 for their group matches, more than twice the Philippine attendance. The Philippines has the potential to average similar figures quite easily and this would build a sustainable financial picture for Philippine football, something essential for the continued growth of the sport. But if ever decisions like ticket prices here are repeated, it will not only choke the National team, but the UFL and grassroots football too.

Who makes it to the Maldives?

As Group E winners, the Philippines will join the other four group winners for the final stage of the Challenge Cup, namely Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, and Palestine.

Turkmenistan made it as the best runners-up while Bangladesh are the second best runners-up and these seven nations will join host country Maldives in March 2014, for the group stage.

Of interest in the qualification stage, 2006 winners Tajikistan and 2008 winners India, who the Philippines beat in the group stage last year to qualify for the semifinals, will not be in the final stage for the first time since the competition began as both finished as runners-up in their groups. With weaker goal differences than Turkmenistan and Bangladesh, it was simply the luck of the draw as those who qualified could rack up the goal difference against Cambodia and the Northern Mariana Islands, respectively.

The Challenge Cup has certainly had its share of challenges so far, and we can probably expect a new and hopefully fairer system of qualification next time around. But for 2014, the Philippines have just put themselves in top contention to win their first ever internationally sanctioned trophy. Come March, 2014, everyone will be looking out for the Philippines. - AMD, GMA News

 

 

...the destinations on the rise

Metro Manila named among 'destinations on the rise'

 

By Kim Arveen Patria

Yahoo! Southeast Asia Newsroom

 

Fishermen watch the famed Manila Bay sunset. (Yen Baet)

 

 

Pinoys don't have to look too far for places to explore, as an international travel website named Metro Manila as one of the destinations in Asia that are getting more and more fun.

Trip Advisor ranked the Philippines' capital region fourth in the list of the top 10 Asian "destinations on the rise."

It followed Jakarta, Indonesia; Kathmandu, Nepal; and Calcutta, India.

Rounding out the list of 10 are Bangalore, India; Luang Prabang, Laos; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Chiang Mai, Thailand; and the Japanese cities of Kobe and Osaka.

Sunset on Manila Bay, one of the best natural harbors in the region. (Yen Baet)

"Located on Manila Bay in the South China Sea, and bisected by the Pasig River, the capital of the Philippines is historic and modern, rich and poor," the website said.

Intramuros, the seat of power during Spanish colonization, is now a park and a popular tourist destination. (Yen Baet)

It highlighted the walled city of Intramuros as one of Metro Manila's popular sights.

"The capital during Spanish colonization, Intramuros has retained old dungeons and gunpowder rooms but added art galleries and theaters," the website said.

The Manila skyline at night. (Yen Baet)

"The city is filled with museums, shops, parks and churches, plus enough nightlife to last until dawn," it added.

This recent accolade for Manila comes as the Department of Tourism on Wednesday launched a new international television campaign promoting entertainment and lifestyle offerings in Metro Manila.

The video dubbed "Sleepless Nights," shows travel, shopping, food options; Manila's clubs and bars at night; as well as other fun events to watch out for.

Trip Advisor meanwhile noted that Manila acts as the gateway to other destinations in the country.

Among the nearby must-see sites it recommended is Corregidor.

"It is called 'The Rock' because it served as the major bastion of Philippine's Allies during World War II," the website said.

In March, Trip Advisor also ranked Boracay Island at the top beach destination in Asia and the sixth in the world.

Globally, Boracay was rated higher than a number of well-known beach destinations in Hawaii, Miami and Mexico.

...the Math wizzards in India

PH wins 23 medals in Math, Science Olympiad in India

 

ABS-CBNnews.com

11/03/2012

 

 

 

MANILA, Philippines - Filipino students won 23 medals during a Math and Science Olympiad in India held last week.

The students bagged one gold, 12 silver and 10 bronze medals at the 9th International Mathematics and Science Olympiad for Primary Schools, which drew in 231 contestants from 12 other countries.

"Filipino students have once again shown their excellence in math and science," said Simon Chua, president of the Mathematics Trainers Guild-Philippines.

Rechilda Villame stood in as the delegation's team leader for Math, while Ruthela Payawal was the group's team leader for Science.

The Philippines competed with China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Nigeria, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Taiwan and Thailand.

The following are the names of the students and their corresponding medals won:

MATHEMATICS

Gold medalist:
- Shaquille Wyan Que of Grace Christian College

Silver medalists:
- Tiffany Mae Ong of Immaculate Concepcion Academy-Greenhills
- Emmanuel Paulo Santos of Colegio San Agustin-Binan
- Jinger Chong of St. Jude Catholic School
- Alyana Zoie Chua of MGC New Life Christian Academy
- Vincent Angelo Suarez of De La Salle-Lipa

Bronze medalists:
- Mark Ebson Susana of Naic Elementary School-Cavite
- Theresa Manalo of Morning Star Montessori-Calamba,
- Maedell Mosuera of G. B. Lontok Memorial School-Lipa,
- Fedrick Lance Lim of Zamboanga Chong Hua High School
- Marksen Victor Lizarondo of Dasmarinas II Central School
- Nathan Arthur Banatao of UP Integrated School

SCIENCE

Silver medalists:
- John Matthew Felices of Holistic Education and Development Center,
- Kristine Bernadette Nunez of Colegio San Agustin-Binan,
- Adam Christopher Chan of Grace Christian College
- Youna Lee of Colegio San Agustin-Makati,
- Antonio Alexis Aldeguer of Colegio San Agustin-Makati,
- Ron Michael Acda of Binan Elementary School
- Hans Leighton Liu of St Jude Catholic School

Bronze medalists:
- Thomas Spencer Balete of St. Stephen’s High School
- Ronn Earnest Tullao of Early Start Learning Center-Lipa
- John Joshua Babilonia of Dasmarinas II Central School
- John Bien Angelo Uy of Montessori East of Tanauan

Also a member of the RP delegation is Kane Arcangel of Lemery Pilot Elementary School.

...the Golden Boot awardee

Phil Younghusband wins Golden Boot award

by Jojo Malig, ABS-CBNNews.com

03/19/2012

 

 

Philippine Azkals striker Phil Younghusband won the Golden Boot award for the most number of goals scored during the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup. Photo courtesy of Neil Etheridge

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Azkals striker Phil Younghusband won the Golden Boot award for the most number of goals scored in the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup tournament.

Younghusband scored 6 goals in the tournament to lead the Philippines to a historic third-place finish in the competition.

The former Chelsea reserve player opened the scoring for the Azkals in their nerve-gripping 4-3 victory over Palestine on Monday.

His second goal in the match came via a penalty in the 24th minute.

Azkals coach Michael Weiss said he is proud of what his wards have achieved. "I am very proud to be part of this development of Philippines' football and I look forward to it continuing."

"I also want to take the opportunity to thank all our fans in the Philippines, in the Gulf, in Europe and all over the world who have supported us. Without them, what we have achieved would not have been possible," he told the-afc.com in a post-match interview.

The German gaffer said he also did not expect the third-place match to go down the wire. "It was a thriller. A do-or-die game and we were lucky in the end."

"Overall, I think we deserved to finish third and I thank my players for their never-say-die attitude," he said.
Other members of the Philippine Azkals were also on cloud 9 with their victory over Palestine.

"Maraming salamat po sa pagsubaybay nyo sa aking twitter updates. Masaya ako na nakapaglaro ulit ako para sa Pilipinas at naka-3rd place kami," goalkeeper Neil Etheridge said.

"Salamat sa lahat na sumusuporta sa team. So proud of you," Chieffy Caligdong said.

"Another amazing achievement from this amazing team. We thank all those who contributed along the way and for everyone's wonderful support," Rob Gier said.

"That match was our Final and we ended with a bang! Great achievement to come home with a bronze. So damn proud!" said Aly Borromeo.

"Tanggapin nyo ang taos puso naming pasasalamat sa inyo sa walang sawa nyo na suporta sa amin! Mabuhay ang Pinoy!" Ian Araneta said.

The Azkals also received praise from Palestinian football fans on social media site Twitter.

"Philippines has improved tremendously in 12 months. Not just saying that because they put 4 past us- their play is a lot more nuanced," said @FutbolPalestine. "Thought the fourth goal was absolutely superb from Philippines. Beautiful overlapping play really shows how far they've come."

"Quite obvious today that Philippines was hungrier, angrier. Congratulations Azkals on the third place finish. See you at Challenge Cup 2014!" @FutbolPalestine added.

Azkals fans, meanwhile made a public show of support by gathering at the Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati on Monday night.

Two members of the group stepped into the hotel's large outdoor fountain bearing the Azkals flag as the rest cheered on.

North Korea won the tournament by beating Turkmenistan, 2-1, in a tightly fought final on Monday.

...the Azkals drive

Azkals make history in victory over Tajikistan

 

By Dennis Gasgonia,

ABS-CBNnews.com

03/13/2012

 

 

Phil Younghusband scores a goal against Tajikistan.

MANILA, Philippines (1st UPDATE) – The Philippine Azkals continued their Cinderella run in the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup by barging into the semifinals with a historic win over Tajikistan on Tuesday.

The Philippine side toppled another former champion in Tajikistan, 2-1, at the Halchowk Stadium in Kathmandu to catch the last ride for the Challenge Cup semis.

Phil Younghusband and Angel Guirado scored the crucial goals in the 53rd and the 80th minute of the game to bring the Azkals to the next round.

With the win, the Azkals achieved their initial target of duplicating the same feat they attained in the 2010 Suzuki Cup.

“We've always wanted to go to the semis. This is the first time that the Philippines have actually entered the final stage,” Azkals team manager Dan Palami said.

This was the second straight win by the Azkals against a former Challenge Cup champion.

Prior to their game against the Tajiks, the Filipinos pushed 2008 titlist India out of contention with a 2-0 beating last Sunday.

Surprise in first half

Although Tajikistan enjoyed more ball possessions in the first half, the Filipinos were consistent in attacking the Tajiks’ goal.

Younghusband, who scored two goals against India, had attempts in the 2nd and 8th minute.

Guirado also struck a header in the 28th minute, but his shot sailed over the crossbar.

The Tajiks, however, pulled off a stunner in first-half injury time when an Alexey-Negmatov-header went through the Azkals' goal line.

The Filipinos appealed before the referees, but game officials ruled in favor of the Persian Lions and gave them a 1-0 advantage over the Azkals.

Fightback

Minutes into the second half, the nationals fired back at their Central Asian counterparts.

Younghusband equalized the game for the Philippines by scoring a goal off a pass from Guirado.

This leveled the score to 1-1 in the 53rd minute.

After failing to convert a goal in the 78th minute, Guirado pushed the Philippine side to a 2-1 lead against the Tajiks with a header in the 80th minute.

The Persian Lions tried hard to equalize the game, but they fell short in the face of the Azkals’ defense.

The Philippine side was the more aggressive team, with 14 shots at the goal against Tajikistan's 7.

This forced the Tajik keeper to work extra hard with 11 saves, compared to Neil Etherdige's 2 saves.

The Azkals also had 7 shots on target compared to the Tajiks' 5.

The Philippines will join defending champion North Korea, Turkmenistan and Palestine in the semifinal round.

The Azkals earned a qualification in the 2012 Challenge Cup final group by carving out a sensational 3-0 win over Mongolia in March 2011.

Semifinals

The Philippine Azkals will now have to go through 2010 runner-up Turkmenistan to earn a ticket in the Challenge Cup finals.

The two teams will square off on Friday.

The Azkals appear to be the stronger team on paper as they enjoy a higher FIFA ranking than Turkmenistan.
In the FIFA rankings, the Philippines is No. 156, while Turkmenistan is ranked 166th.

However, the Azkals will have to play the semifinal match minus 2 key players.

Guirado and James Younghusband each incurred their second yellow card in the Tajikistan game.

The two Azkals were also penalized during the Philippines’ skirmish against India.

Team coach Michael Weiss is expected to make adjustments to fill in the void left by James and Guirado.

Although making it to the semis was the team’s initial goal, Palami said the Azkals are ready to push their campaign toward the the Challenge Cup finals.

“If we make it to the finals, that will be a dream come true," he said. 

...the press feedom ranking

Phl improves rating in 2011 Press Freedom Index and censorship By Artemio Dumlao The Philippine Star January 26, 2012

BAGUIO CITY, Philippines – The Philippines has improved slightly in the 2011 Press Freedom Index, the Reporters sans Frontières (RSF) or Reporters Without Borders said.

Now on its 10th year, RSF is a Brussels-based organization that publishes an annual rating index covering 178 countries worldwide.

Though still reeling from the stigma of the November 2009 Maguindanao massacre where at least 57 were killed including 32 media people, the Philippines ranked 140th in 2011.

A year after the Maguindanao massacre, Philippines dropped to 156th, a tremendous slide from its former ranking at 122nd.

Despite the improvement, the RSF still included the Philippines in its 2011 Press Freedom Index, together with Pakistan and Afghanistan “where violence and impunity persist” while indicating redress over “more repression in Sri Lanka, Vietnam and China.”

In the Philippines, the RSF said, “paramilitary groups and private militias continued to attack media workers.”

The Press Freedom Index this year specified the still lingering issue on the Maguindanao massacre, claiming “the judicial investigation into the Ampatuan massacre made it clear that the response of the authorities was seriously inadequate.”

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) earlier listed the Philippines third after Iraq and Somalia in the worldwide list of unsolved murders of journalists in 2011.

Maintaining its third spot since 2010, the Philippines “was adjudged from a 13-country list where journalists are murdered on a recurring basis and governments are unable or unwilling to prosecute the killers,” the CPJ said.

Violence and censorship around Asia

Journalists continued to be exposed to violence in Bangladesh (129th) and Nepal (106th), although less than in the past, the RSF noted, while citing Nepalese journalists were regularly subjected to threats from rival political groups and their supporters.

In Bangladesh, opposition groups and the ruling Awami League took turns attacking and obstructing the press. The Bangladeshi government maintains excessive control over the media and the Internet, the RSF claimed.

RSF cited China (171st) and Vietnam where freedom of information worsened because of authoritarian rule.

“China has a record of having more journalists, bloggers and cyber-dissidents in prison than any other country, stepped up its censorship and propaganda in 2011 and tightened its control of the Internet, particularly the blogosphere,” it said.

The RSF also documented that in Beijing and Shanghai, international correspondents were particular targets of security forces and had to work under the continual threat of expulsion or having their visas withdrawn. “Journalists were prevented from covering most of the events that threatened China’s stability or might have given it a negative image,” the press freedom watchdog said.

Vietnam (172nd), the RSF said, appeared to follow China’s repressive lead and fell seven places. “Politically committed journalists and pro-democracy bloggers were harassed by the authorities while courts continued to invoke state security to hand out prison sentences ranging from two to seven years,” the index claimed.

In Sri Lanka (163rd), the regime of the Rajapakse clan forced the last few opposition journalists to flee the country, RSF said.

Interestingly, the RSF saw Burma (169th) showing signs of beginning to carry out reforms including partial amnesties and a reduction in prior censorship, but it remained largely under the control of an authoritarian government run by former members of the military junta reinvented as civilian politicians. Less than 10 of its journalists remain in prison at the start of 2012.

In North Korea (178th), although news and information was able to move across its borders to a greater extent, no one knows whether this will continue under Kim Jong-un, the son and heir of Kim Jong-il. The dynastic succession, the dominance of the military machine and the government’s desire for power give no grounds for optimism.

‘Good turning bad’

RSF claimed that in 2011, countries which are traditionally good performers did not shine.

With New Zealand’s fall to 13th position, no country in the Asia-Pacific region figured among the top 10 in the index.

Hong Kong (54th), the RSF saw, showed a sharp deterioration in press freedom in 2011 and its ranking fell sharply. Arrests, assaults and harassment worsened working conditions for journalists to an extent not seen previously, a sign of a worrying change in government policy, it said.

In Australia (30th), the media were subjected to investigations and criticism by the authorities, and were denied access to information, while in Japan (22nd), coverage of the tsunami and the Fukushima nuclear accident gave rise to excessive restrictions and exposed the limits of the pluralism of the country’s press.

 Other developments

Syria, Bahrain and Yemen got worst-ever rankings owing to crackdowns after these countries’ political upheavals, the RSF said.

“This year’s index sees many changes in the rankings, changes that reflect a year that was incredibly rich in developments, especially in the Arab world.”

RSF also claimed “many media paid dearly for their coverage of democratic aspirations or opposition movements. Control of news and information continued to tempt governments and to be a question of survival for totalitarian and repressive regimes.”

This year, Eritrea, Turkmenistan and North Korea are immediately preceded at the bottom by Syria, Iran and China, three countries that “seem to have lost contact with reality as they have been sucked into an insane spiral of terror,” and by Bahrain and Vietnam, quintessential oppressive regimes, the RSF said in its report.

Other countries such as Uganda and Belarus have also become much more repressive, it added further.
On the other hand, countries like Finland, Norway and the Netherlands still “respect basic freedoms.”

RSF also noted the entry of Cape Verde and Namibia into the top 20, “two African countries where no attempts to obstruct the media were reported in 2011.”

“This serves as a reminder that media independence can only be maintained in strong democracies and that democracy needs media freedom.”

 

...the year of the Azkals

2011: The year the Azkals revived Philippine football

 

ROY MOORE

December 30, 2011

 

 

The year 2011 will perhaps be remembered as the Philippine football's revival. The Azkals were known, or rather barely known, for losing consistently. Four years ago the Azkals weren't even entered for the World Cup qualifiers and other competitions and lost five games in a row, one to Singapore and two each to Malaysia and Thailand, conceding four goals in every game and scoring just one in all five.

The seeds of the team were already there, though, and after the losing record they went on an 11-match unbeaten run racking up five wins and six draws. Without making a mark in any major competition or beating a well-ranked team, the team was just competing for the title of the best of the minnows in Southeast Asia.

Since Manager Dan Palami took control of the team, however, they have improved their ranks and confidence and shocked Asia with a 2-0 victory over regional powerhouse Vietnam in the 2010 Suzuki Cup. This kick-started everything and set the scene for 2011 to become the biggest year in Philippine football history since the glory days of Paulino Alcantara and the Philippines' solitary trophy in 1913 when they beat China 2-1 to win the first ever Far Eastern Games.

The team went on to become at one stage the most improved nation in the world, based on ELO ratings. This is somewhat remarkable given football was virtually unknown to the general populace. TV networks hurriedly reorganized schedules to show matches, some networks just hearing for the first time that the Philippines had a football team. So here's the first part of a two-part series looking at how the Azkals have achieved that success and the forecast for 2012.

February: Challenge Cup qualifiers 1st round
Many nations didn't have to qualify for the group stage of the Challenge Cup in 2011, which was in itself the qualifying stage for the Challenge Cup in 2012. In their group only the Philippines had to go through the knockout qualifying stage which also saw Afghanistan, Taiwan and Cambodia enter the group stage. The first leg was played in Bacolod, considered by many to be Philippine football's home given the popularity of the sport. Indeed the official 20,000 capacity crowd is perhaps an underestimate and was by far the biggest audience of any of the qualifying matches.

The Philippines dominated the match after Mongolia went down to 10 men 25 minutes into the game after Pagamsuren Altantulga was sent off. Fittingly, Ilo-ilo native Chieffy Caligdong broke the deadlock as the first half was drawing to a close. With everyone thinking it would end goalless he popped up on the left wing to dink the ball over his defender and volley it through the goalkeeper's legs.
 
In control of the game but unable to kill it off, the Philippines seemed to be heading into a tricky away leg with only a single goal advantage for all the possessions and shots. Into the fourth minute of injury time, Phil Youngshusband sent the crowd into a frenzy as he squeezed the ball in on the rebound.
 
In the return leg in Mongolia, the Azkals got off to a flying start when James Younghusband scored in the 4th minute. This put the Azkals up 3-0 on aggregate and though Mongolia came back to score two first-half goals and bring the aggregate score to 3-2 to the Philippines, they couldn't managed to score again and the Azkals qualified for the next round.
 
Success: The Philippines were the only team in this knockout round to beat a higher ranked opposition on aggregate to qualify.
 
March: Challenge Cup qualifying group stage
Having beaten Mongolia, the team now entered the group stage of qualification, a round robin of four teams with the top two making it through to the final stage of the tournament in March, 2012.
 
Drawn against Bangladesh, Palestine and hosts Myanmar, it was a tricky group which got off to a disheartening start when leading for most of the match Myanmar scored a late free-kick to take a share of the points. Palestine beat both Myanmar and Bangladesh in their other games but failed to score against the Philippines as the two played out a 0-0 draw and left an all or nothing clash in the Philippines' final game of the group against Bangladesh.
 
Anything less than a win would see Bangladesh or Myanmar qualify while a victory would guarantee progression to the finals. As it was, the Philippines finally turned on the style and the team gelled to outclass their opponents to win 3-0. Qualifying behind Palestine in the group, the team made the Challenge Cup Finals in March, 2012.
 
Success: The Philippines were the only qualifiers of the knockout round to also qualify for the final stages.
 
June-July: World Cup qualification
The Philippines were drawn against Sri Lanka in the opening round of the AFC World Cup Qualification. Moving up in the rankings, the Philippines were rated higher than Sri Lanka though things got off to a sluggish start as Sri Lanka took the lead in Colombo through a deflected free kick before Nate Burkey scored the equalizer.
 
With their backs to the walls the Azkals showed their fighting spirit again and dominated a lackluster Sri Lankan side at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. Winning 4-0, the team advanced into the Second Round of World Cup Qualification, 5-1 on aggregate.
 
The draw saw the Azkals face Kuwait in the next round, a team ranked 67 places above them at the time. The start was sluggish again and the absence of Aly Borromeo and Stephan Schrock, due to suspensions, also didn't help the team in a 3-0 loss to Kuwait.
 
With little chance of progressing the Azkals came out strong in front of a home crowd in the second tie as Rizal Memorial Stadium started to become the team's fortress. The Philippines took the lead with what later became the Kaholeros' goal of the year: Stephan Schrock hammered the ball into the top of the net from 25 yards out.
 
Kuwait came back in the second half and equalized before having a man sent off. Pushing for an upset win, the Azkals were caught on the break and Kuwait took the lead with 10 men. The result meant that the team was knocked out of the World Cup Qualification 4-1 on aggregate but they won many plaudits along the way.
 
An honorable mention also goes to Yanti Barsales, who retired from international football in June, playing his last game for the Azkals against a UFL XI. The year 2011 has been the best for Philippine football, but the current stars owe much to standing on the shoulders of Barsales, who made his debut in 1992, and other Filipino veterans.
 
Success: The Philippines recorded their first victory in World Cup Qualification and battled to a 2-1 loss against the reigning Gulf Cup of Nations Champions, Kuwait, in the next round.
 
September-October: Long Teng Cup
Reaching the next round of World Cup Qualification had lifted the Azkals high in the public consciousness and television coverage was now almost guaranteed for each match. From being unknown, news about the team was starting to flood the nation's consciousness.
 
Tipped as potentially the Philippines' first trophy since 1913, the 2011 Long Teng Cup seemed to start in the worst possible way with Hong Kong scoring two early goals and asserting their dominance. Phil Younghusband converted a penalty to put the Azkals back into contention before half-time though and after the break Caligdong, so often the team's creative inspiration, scored twice to put the Philippines ahead. In the dying minutes of the game it seemed the Philippines had completed a remarkable comeback against the tournament's highest ranked team until Hong Kong equalized in the 86th minute.
 
In their next match, the Philippines faced Taiwan, which had already beaten Macau 3-0. Playing out a 0-0 draw the Philippines would repeat their feat in the Challenge Cup of drawing the opening two games before winning the last game to finish second in the group with five points. A 2-0 win over Macau gave the Philippines those points, though truth be told it wasn't the Azkals' best performance and the Philippines only won as Caligdong dragged his country into second place. Hong Kong meanwhile destroyed Macau 5-1 and Taiwan 6-0 to rule the Long Teng Cup for the second time.
 
Success: The Azkals improved on their position climbing to second place in the group with two draws and a win compared to a win, draw and a loss the year before.
 
Fun fact: Ian Araneta was the 2010 Long Teng Cup's top scorer, netting four goals in three games. This time around Caligdong was the only player in the tournament to score four goals to win the Golden Boot award.
 
October: Friendlies
With no tournaments left for the senior team in the year the Philippine Football Federation arranged friendly matches for the national side. First saw Singapore looking for revenge as the last encounter between the two nations ended in a 1-1 draw which eventually knocked Singapore out of the 2010 Suzuki Cup in the group stage for the first time since 2002. Singapore won the game 2-0 but they had to work for the result.
 
Ranked 30 places above the Philippines at the time it was still a worthy effort from the Azkals, who faced a Nepal side that is a place above Singapore in the FIFA rankings. Two goals from Phil Younghusband, one from his brother James and one from Matthew Hartmann had the visitors posting a 4-0 triumph.
 
Success: The Philippines established themselves as the most improved nation in the world based on ELO ratings. An arguably more accurate rating system, developed by a chess grandmaster, the ELO ratings showed the Azkals had been the most improved country in the world over the past 12 months at this point.
 
November: SEA Games
The SEA Games were perhaps the biggest disappointment of the year for football fans. Without adequate preparation, the Under-23 players struggled against their Southeast Asian rivals and recorded one win in five games.
 
The U23 team lost to Vietnam 3-1 in their opening game and was followed by a surprise 2-1 defeat to Timor Leste. The team defeated Laos in extra time as Joshua Beloya struck two late goals to turn around a 2-1 deficit and record their only points of the campaign. The Junior Azkals also suffered consecutive losses to Myanmar (5-0) and Brunei (2-1) as the Philippines dropped to the bottom of the group.
 
Success: Not much in this case though finding several younger players with great potential show Philippine football's future.
 
December: LA Galaxy
The game itself ended 6-1 in favor of the LA Galaxy, the Azkals' biggest loss of the year. Yet the result didn't matter as playing against the LA Galaxy in the first place was the achievement.
 
This capped the Azkals' year in style as David Beckham, arguably the biggest football star in recent football history, graced Manila by opening the scoring with a trademark curling shot and whipped in crosses to supply the next few goals. With teammates such as USA's top goal scorer Landon Donovan, Ireland's Robbie Keane and a host of other quality players, the spectacle was what was important this time around.
 
While it wouldn't be wise to have many such games, deflating the confidence of the Philippine players with heavy losses, as Weiss pointed out after the game, it was the perfect way to cap off the year.
 
Success: Originally the LA Galaxy had not intended to play in the Philippines. After the success of 2011, the newly crowned MLS champions were convinced that football had grown enough in popularity and quality to stop by the Philippines on the way to Australia. The LA Galaxy is the biggest club to visit the Philippines in decades. — JVP/HS, GMA News

...the corruption perception index

PH ranking improves in corruption index

 

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia,

abs-cbnNEWS.com

12/01/2011

 

 

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines' ranking among the world's most corrupt countries improved slightly, based on the 2011 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) released by Transparency International on Thursday.

 

The Philippines came in at 129 with a 2.6 CPI in Transparency International's list that ranks 178 countries and territories based on how corrupt their public sector is perceived to be.

This is better than the Philippines' 134th ranking in 2010 with a 2.4 CPI. The CPI score indicates the perceived level of public sector corruption on a scale of 0 - 10, where 0 means that a country is perceived as highly corrupt and 10 means that a country is perceived as very clean.

“This year we have seen corruption on protestors’ banners be they rich or poor. Whether in a Europe hit by debt crisis or an Arab world starting a new political era, leaders must heed the demands for better government,” said Huguette Labelle, Chair of Transparency International, in a statement.

The Philippines 129 ranking puts it at the same level as Honduras, Dominican Republic and Syria.
But this is the Philippines' highest ranking since 2007 when it ranked 131st with a score of 2.5. In 2010 and 2009, the Philippines had a score of 2.4, showing virtually no improvement in the corruption index.

President Benigno Aquino assumed power last year on a platform of good governance and anti-corruption, and has been actively pursuing electoral sabotage and corruption cases against his predecessor Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Among 35 Asia-Pacific countries in the list, the Philippines is still perceived as one of the most corrupt, ranking 25th.

Most corrupt, least corrupt

North Korea, along with Somalia, was judged as the most corrupt not just in Asia but in the world.
"There are no checks and balances in North Korea, no public accountability and total political control of the judiciary. And on top of that, civil society as we know it does not exist there," TI Managing Director Cobus de Swardt told Reuters.

Most worrying, he said, was that high levels of corruption fundamentally undermine food distribution, painting a grim picture for North Korea, where the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has warned of a coming "nutrition crisis".

About two thirds of countries ranked in the index this year scored 5.0 or less.

Other Asia-Pacific countries perceived as highly corrupt are Myanmar (180), Myanmar (180), Afghanistan (180), Cambodia (164), Nepal (154), Papua New Guinea (154) and Laos (154).

On the other hand, New Zealand was judged as the "least corrupt", topping the list with a 9.5 CPI. The top 5 also included Denmark (2), Finland (2), Sweden (4) and Singapore (5). - with Reuters

...the Math wizzards at Kavre, Nepal

Pinoy math whiz kids bag 16 medals

By Rainier Allan Ronda
The Philippine Star
Updated November 19, 2011

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines’ math whiz kids harvested a crop of 16 medals, including 5 golds, in the Asia Inter-Cities Teenagers Mathematics Olympiad (AITMO) held in Kavre, Nepal this week.

All the 16 Filipino contestants managed to win a medal each that they brought home when the delegation arrived in Manila yesterday afternoon.

They bagged five gold, seven silver and four bronze medals, enabling the Philippines to wind up second in the individual medal tally.

“Filipino students once again showed their outstanding performance in an international math competition,” said Simon Chua, president of the Mathematics Trainers Guild-Philippines.

Chua said in addition to the individual medals, the three Philippine teams fielded in the tournament also got second place while another placed third in the team contest.

Gold medalists for the Philippines are Deany Hendrick Cheng and Sean Timothy Cheng of Grace Christian College, Reine Jiana Reynoso of Philippine Science High School -Main, Julius Vincent Sy of St. Stephen’s High School and Timothy James Tan of Trinity Christian School-Bacolod.

Garnering silver medals are Nathaniel Ryan Ang of Xavier School, Brandon Chan of Philippine Cultural College-Annex, Sherralyn Bernice Chan of Saint Jude Catholic School, Ethan Riley Chan of Zamboanga Chong Hua High School, Rachel Rojo of Zamboanga Chong Hua High School, Mikaela Angelina Uy of Saint Jude Catholic School and Keefe Collin Tan of Saint Jude Catholic School.

Bronze medalists are Audrey Celine Lao of Saint Jude Catholic School, Georemie Arrianne Concepcion of Philippine Science High School-Main, Shawn Gabriele Cabanes of Zamboanga Chong Hua High School and Kennichi Tan of Zamboanga Chong Hua High School.

Chua said 32 teams from 13 countries competed in the contest. They were from South Korea, China, Thailand, Bulgaria, Indonesia, India, Iran, South Africa, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Philippines and host country Nepal.

...the PH rank in Lucknow Math Olympiad

PH wins 2nd place in int'l math tilt

 

By JONATHAN M. HICAP

October 24, 2011

Manila Bulletin

 

 

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines placed second in the overall ranking in the Wizards at Mathematics International Competition (WIZMIC) held in Lucknow, India, on Oct. 21-24. Filipino students reaped awards in the individual and team contests, Dr. Simon Chua, president of the Mathematics Trainers Guild-Philippines (MTG), said Monday.

In the overall ranking, Philippines Team B emerged second. The team was composed of Xavier Jefferson Ray Go of Zamboanga Chong Hua High School; Miko Johnson Ong Co of St. Stephen’s High School; Jasper John Segismundo of Pasig Catholic College, and Cristiana Marie Calderon of Falcon Learning Center. Indonesia Math Ed Clinic Team D came first.

In the individual contest, Filipino students bagged six gold, four silver, and four bronze medals.

The Filipino gold medalists are Gene Go Jr. and Xavier Jefferson Ray Go of Zamboanga Chong Hua High School; Raphael Villaluz of San Beda College, Alabang in Muntinlupa City, Cary Albert Chan of St. Jude Catholic School, Miko Johnson Ong Co of St. Stephen’s High School, and Jasper John Segismundo of Pasig Catholic College.

Silver medalists are Terence Brian Tsai of Chiang Kai Shek College, Cristiana Marie Calderon of Falcon Learning Center, Mikhaela Marie Diaz of Special Education Center for the Gifted, and Ezzekiel Young of Jubilee Christian Academy.

Winners of bronze medals are Lou Irish Gonzales of Pasig Catholic School, Anica Clarice Antonella Galano of St. Paul College-Pasig, Angelika Joie Tagupa of Colegio San Agustin-Makati, and Andrew Vince Lee of Xavier School.

In the team contest, Philippines Team B won first place and Philippines Teams C and D won second place and Philippines Team A won third place. RP Team D included Tofelle John Jipos of Pasig Catholic College, and Neil Joshua Patiag of Special Education Center for the Gifted.

Dr. Chua said 39 teams from nine countries joined the contest. Participating countries are China, Nepal, Thailand, Indonesia, Bangladesh, South Africa, Sri Lanka, host India, and the Philippines.

The WIZMIC was organized by the City Montessori School in Lucknow, India, with the support of the Lucknow government.

 

...the Asian "Nobel" awardees

Filipino NGO leads 2011 'Magsaysay' awardees

By RAYMUND F. ANTONIO

August 31, 2011

Manila Bulletin

MANILA, Philippines — They’ve always keep a low profile status, silently helping poor communities empower themselves with the use of environment-friendly technology.

 

But from now on, it’s going to be hard for this local nongovernment organization (NGO) to be inconspicuous, what with the Ramon Magsaysay award tucked under its belt.

The Alternative Indigenous Development Foundation, Inc. (AIDFI) is the sole enterprise and Filipino NGO that was bequeathed with the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award, reputedly Asia’s equivalent of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Other winners in this year’s awarding were individuals who made a mark of excellence in various fields.

AIDFI got the nod of the Magsaysay selection committee for its selfless effort to help rural and impoverished communities improve their lives with simple technology.

This year’s other awardees are: Harish Hande of India; Koul Panha of Cambodia; Tri Mumpuni of Indonesia; Nileema Mishra, India (for emergent leadership); and Hasanain Juaini, Indonesia.

The group introduced the ram pump technology, which brings water to upland communities and improve agricultural production.

For years, it has been a silent, if not lonely, endeavor for AIDFI, with few resources and lack of private and government support.

But the group persevered, realizing that doing good for the sake of good will bring in the rewards.

“We still have to grasp the full impact of it,” said Auke Idzenga, a Dutch marine engineer and co-founder and management committee head of AIDFI.

“So far, it is unbelievable, the media attention, the emails coming in,” he added.

Idzenga said AIDFI began its rural work in the 1990s, organizing labor unions and working with agrarian reform communities. Then, the group branched out to socio-economic projects after organizing and education workers on unionism.

The group started sowing it seeds in Negros province, at an auspicious time.

“Initially borne out of social turmoil that accompanied the collapse of the sugar industry in Negros during the 1980s. Hundreds of workers and farmers were displaced and the survival of peasant families was severely threatened,” was how the Magsaysay awards described AIDFI.

However, AIDFI was forced to close shop due to lack of funds and loss of key members.

In 1997, Idzenga revived the group with a clearer vision of technology innovation to help the rural poor.

It re-invented the ram pump technology, introduced it in rural communities in Negros whose economy is largely agricultural.

It was soon a matter of time before the idea, and the project expanded.

“It naturally expanded and became bigger in the Philippines,” Idzenga said.

With over 200 ram pumps installed in hundreds of communities in Negros Occidental, the group is now exporting the technology to Cambodia, Nepal, Columbia, and Afghanistan.

“When we did the first installation, no one knows about it. Then people started looking at the installation and word spread about it. From one community, we are now a technical service provider in many organizations in Cebu and some parts in Mindanao,” Idzenga said.

The Ramon Magsaysay Foundation, in citing AIDFI, said that the enterprise “does not only introduce machinery, but a whole “social package” which includes community consultation, training of village technicians, transfer of ownership of the water system to the community and the organization of local water associations to manage the water generation and distribution system.”

Idzenga said they were not after winning any awards for their endeavor but he stressed it was fulfilling to be recognized for their efforts.

“I’m not expecting it, not at all. We won some international awards last year but never did I expect something like this. Not the Magsaysay awards because this is for special people and groups. It was really a big surprise when they called us,” he said.

...the social change assembly

PH hosts 4th assembly of global movement for social change

By MARVYN N. BENANING

July 7, 2011

Manila Bulletin

MANILA, Philippines — Representatives from 40 countries converged at the Ciudad Christia Resort in San Mateo, Rizal, Thursday morning for the 4th assembly of the International League of Peoples' Struggle (ILPS) to chart a common blueprint for genuine social change and liberation.

Organizers said delegates to the assembly head earlier signaled the start of the meet by raising the "annapurna" or Nepalese prayer flags at the Peace Bell Area of the Quezon Memorial Circle (QMC) in Quezon City on Wednesday morning to represent the 18 demands of the ILPS.

The "annapurna" is usually raised by mountaineers before trekking towards the summit of Mt. Everest.
From 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Thursday, the delegates heard reports about the accomplishments of the ILPS in the last 10 years, with Chairman Jose Maria Sison addressing the delegates about the global situation and the need to craft a strategic global campaign to advance the interest of the peoples in 40 member-countries, from Belgium, Finland, Germany, the former Soviet republics, Greece, Spain, Italy to Palestine, the Middle Eastern nations, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and a number of countries in Latin America.

Friday, participants will continue to tackle the situations in their homelands and situate the same in the context of the global economic and political crisis, highlighted by the resurgence of democratic and nationalist upheavals even in member-nations of the European Union (EU) saddled by huge debt problems.

Saturday, the members of the International Coordinating Group (ICG) of the ILPS will meet the press at 12:30 p.m. at the Serye Cafè Filipino at the QMC to discuss how the league hopes to broaden the international united front to advance the social, economic and political interest of various peoples, particularly in the light of the debt crisis, the intensification of pocket wars worldwide and the worsening poverty and hunger, particularly in developing nations.

ICG members are expected to share their insights into the impact of globalization, the mass migration of labor and the continuing adverse effects of environmental abuse, particularly by profit-seeking transnational corporations nurtured by multilateral financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB.)

...(it's official) the world's shortest man in history

Guinness names Filipino as world's shortest man

AP 

12 June 2011

Junrey Balawing holds a Philippine flag as he is helped by his father Reynaldo after …

 

Junrey Balawing holds a Philippine flag as he is assisted by his father Reynaldo …

SINDANGAN, Philippines (AP) — A Guinness World Records representative has declared the son of a poor Filipino locksmith who measured 23.5 inches (60 centimeters) tall as the world's shortest man.

Guinness official Craig Glenday says Junrey Balawing, who turned 18 on Sunday, broke the record of Khagendra Thapa Magar of Nepal, who is 26.4 inches (67 centimeters) tall.

The announcement drew a loud applause from Balawing's parents and townmates in Zamboanga del Norte's remote Sindangan township in the southern Philippines, who showered the new celebrity with a feast, a cake, balloons and cash gifts.

Balawing thanked the crowd and posed for pictures.

...the resolution

PHL resolutions adopted at UN meet

 

05/31/2011

GMANews.tv

At least two key resolutions of the Philippines were adopted at the 67th Session of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN ESCAP), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reported on Tuesday.

The UN ESCAP adopted the resolutions on:

the improvement of civil registration and vital statistics in the Asia-Pacific region, and

enhancing accessibility for persons with disabilities.

"The resolutions were part of a set of 15 resolutions adopted in the meeting on issues from bridging wide development and infrastructure gaps within the region, to cooperation for energy security and disaster preparedness," the DFA said in a news release posted on its website.

The Philippine resolution on civil registration and vital statistics was co-sponsored by Australia, Bangladesh, and Thailand.

The resolution emphasized the importance of these systems in designing social protection schemes and improving development outcomes.

It also called for the commitment of Asia-Pacific countries in convening a regional meeting of decision makers to strengthen civil registration and vital statistics systems.

"The Philippines is only one of two countries in the region with an integrated civil registration and vital statistics system," the DFA said.

ESCAP meeting

The DFA said the ESCAP's meeting was held in Bangkok from May 19 to 25.

The next session of ESCAP, to be held in Bangkok in April or May 2012, will focus on enhancing regional economic integration in Asia and the Pacific region.

A comprehensive social and economic agenda for sustainable and inclusive development in the region was drawn up during the week-long annual UN forum.

The central theme of this year's session emphasized the urgency of social protection and development amidst crises that worsened poverty in Asia-Pacific region.

The 67th session of UN ESCAP was participated in by more than 45 countries and 30 UN bodies, international organizations (IOs) and observer non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the region.

Governing council member

During the ESCAP meeting, the Philippines was elected member of the new Governing Council of the Asian and Pacific Centre for Transfer of Technology (APCTT) 2011-2014.

The other countries elected to the Governing Council were Bangladesh, China, Fiji, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Samoa, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Uzbekistan.

The Department of Science and Technology's (DOST) Engineer Edgar Garcia will represent the Philippines in the Governing Council.

During the meeting, Asia-Pacific member states achieved consensus on a wide-range of policy recommendations aimed at sustaining the region's economic growth while minimizing its social and environmental costs.

"The Philippine delegation was active in discussions on information and communications technology, social development and statistics," the DFA said.

"It also shared its experience on the implementation of its Conditional Cash Transfer Program, resulting in greater access to primary schooling, improved maternal mortality and lowered infant mortality among the poor," the DFA added.

A key outcome of the session was an agreement by Asia-Pacific countries to invest in building a "social protection floor" offering a minimum level of access to essential services and income security to all.

The Philippine delegation to 67th UN ESCAP session was headed by Social Welfare and Development Undersecretary Mateo Montano and composed of representatives from the DFA, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the Department of Social Welfare and Devleopment (DSWD), the National Statistics Office (NSO) and the Commission on Information and Communications Technology (CICT).

The Philippines also successfully presided as Vice Chairperson of the meeting, with Montano elected Vice Chairperson of the Bureau for the Ministerial Segment held from May 23 to 25.

NSO Administrator Carmelita Ericta was elected First Vice Chairperson of the Committee of the Whole II of the Senior Officials Segment held on May 19 to 21. - VVP, GMA News